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A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with one count of damaging property.

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.

The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

At the time the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.